Method and system for image templates

ABSTRACT

A method and system for enabling a user to import a user-defined graphics edit into at least one template, the method including the steps of selecting, by the user, at least one first editable object, editing, by the user, at least part of the at least one first editable object, thereby producing a user-defined graphics edit, saving the user-defined graphics edit, selecting, by the user, a template containing at least one second editable object; and applying at least part of the user-defined graphics edit to at least part of the at least one second editable object within the template.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation patent application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/109,841, filed Apr. 18, 2005 now U.S. Pat. No.7,180,528 entitled “Method and System For Image Templates,” which is acontinuation patent application of U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/764,029, filed Jan. 16, 2001, entitled “Method and System For ImageTemplates,” now U.S. Pat. No. 6,906,730 B2 to Bossut et al., which is acontinuation patent application of U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/056,577, filed Apr. 6, 1998, entitled “Method and System for ImageTemplates,” now U.S. Pat. No. 6.195,101 B1 to Ghislain Bossut et al.,each of which are incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to electronic editing and moreparticularly to the use of templates in graphics editing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Computerized editing of images is described in the followingpublication:

-   Delean, Bruno, Method and System for Image Processing, PCT    International Publication WO 94/22101, published 29 Sep. 1994.

The use of templates in graphics applications is well known although notspecifically dealt with in the foregoing publication.

Templates were first created in graphics applications with the intentionof giving guidance to a user who has not mastered the most arcane toolsand features of a graphics software package, or who does not want tospend too much time creating graphics applications from scratch. Inimage editing applications, software designers have discovered thattemplates, if embedded in a format that allows for editing of richeffects, can be used to compensate for a user's inability to createcompelling graphic designs. Instead of requiring that a user createeverything from a clean slate, templates enable a user to choose from acollection of carefully designed examples one that pleases the user orsuits the user's needs. The graphics application has features thatenable the user to further customize the template.

The use of templates is common in most desktop publishing applications,such as ADOBE® PAGEMAKER®, QUARK XPRESS® and MICROSOFT OFFICE®.MICROSOFT WORD®, MICROSOFT EXCEL® and MICROSOFT POWERPOINT® all comewith extensive collections of templates. Templates are less commonlyused in raster image editing applications since, most of the time, theseapplications do not store edits, but rather, they store the resultingpixel based image.

In the professional market, LIVE PICTURE®, MACROMEDIA X-RES® andMETACREATION EXPRESSION® are among the few applications to providetemplates. Some of the consumer level image editing application storeedits in a layered structure, or expression tree, and are able to offertemplates, often called “projects,” to a user. This is the case forADOBE® PHOTODELUXE®, LIVEPIX® and MICROSOFT PICTURE IT!®.

None of these applications, however, provides a way to processalternative designs at any point in the workflow. Specifically, in theprior art, templates are used in the following workflow:

-   Step 1: Choose a template.-   Step 2: Select elements in the template to be edited.-   Step 3: Edit the selected elements.-   Step 4: Save or print.

If, at some point in the process, a user wants to change the template,the user has to start back from Step 1, losing whatever edits wereperformed in Steps 2 and 3.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention describes a method and system which enables a userto change a template and apply to a new template the same editsperformed previously to a previously used template. This has severalimportant advantages. First, it allows the user to choose alternativestyles at any point in the workflow. For example, the user can chooseanother birthday card style, while maintaining the same image or adifferent image, including image position, cropping and level ofmagnification, and while maintaining the same text containing the nameof the birthday person. Second, it enables the application to createderivative products matching a common design and re-using user edits.For example, a set of matching business cards, letterheads, envelopesand flyers may all be created from edits performed on only one of them.

There exist in various public locations, kiosks which include imageediting workstations. Examples include Kodak's COPYPRINT® Station andPolaroid's MAKE-A-PRINT®. In the context of such kiosks, the presentinvention improves productivity by enabling a user to choose from a setof different products to be printed without having to repeat thetime-consuming template editing process.

The present invention enables a single image editing context to beapplied to a variety of editable images, or templates, in an imageediting system. The present invention also improves productivity ofimage editing kiosk systems, by creating a set of matching outputs froma single editing context.

There is thus provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention a method for enabling a user to import a user-definedgraphics edit into at least one template, the method including the stepsof selecting, by the user, at least one first editable object, editing,by the user, at least part of the at least one first editable object,thereby producing a user-defined graphics edit, saving the user-definedgraphics edit, selecting, by the user, a template containing at leastone second editable object, and applying at least part of theuser-defined graphics edit to at least part of the at least one secondeditable object within the template.

Moreover in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention the at least one first editable object and the at least onesecond editable object are identical.

Additionally in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention the at least one first editable object and the at least onesecond editable object are different.

Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention the at least one first editable object resides within a firsttemplate and the at least one second editable object resides within asecond template.

There is also provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention a method for a user to produce a plurality of graphicsoutputs by reusing edited graphics content in multiple templates, themethod including the steps of selecting, by the user, a first templatecontaining at least one first editable object, editing, by the user, atleast part of the at least one first editable object within the firsttemplate, thereby producing a user-defined graphics edit, saving theuser-defined graphics edit, selecting, by the user, a second templatecontaining at least one second editable object, and applying at leastpart of the user-defined graphics edit to at least part of the at leastone second editable object within the second template.

Moreover in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention the at least one first editable object and said at least onesecond editable object are identical.

Additionally in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention the at least one first editable object and the at least onesecond editable object are different.

Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention the user-defined edit contains geometric parameters useful toautomate the positioning of editable objects.

Still further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention the template contains editable objects and non-editableobjects.

Moreover in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention at least one of the at least one first editable object and theat least one second editable object contains locked features andunlocked features, and wherein the applying step does not alter thelocked features.

Additionally in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention the user-defined edit includes a plurality of elements actingupon at least part of the at least one first editable object.

Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention at least one element of the user-defined edit acts on multipleeditable objects.

Still further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention them method also includes the step of automatically generatinggraphics outputs of various sizes following the applying step.

Moreover in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention the graphics outputs are generated on a kiosk system.

There is also provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention an imaging design system for enabling a user to importa user-defined graphics edit into at least one template, including atleast one first editable object, an editor for editing, by the user, atleast part of the at least one first editable object, thereby producinga user-defined graphics edit, a storage device saving the user-definedgraphics edit, a template containing at least one second editableobject, and a design processor, applying at least part of theuser-defined graphics edit to at least part of the at least one secondeditable object within the template.

Moreover in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention the at least one first editable object and the at least onesecond editable object are identical.

Additionally in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention the at least one first editable object and the at least onesecond editable object are different.

Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention the at least one first editable object resides within a firsttemplate and the at least one second editable object resides within asecond template.

There is also provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention an imaging design system for a user to produce aplurality of graphics outputs by reusing edited graphics content inmultiple templates, including a first template containing at least onefirst editable object, an editor for editing, by the user, at least partof the at least one first editable object within the first template,thereby producing a user-defined graphics edit, a storage device savingthe user-defined graphics edit, a second template containing at leastone second editable object, and a design processor, applying at leastpart of the user-defined graphics edit to at least part of the at leastone second editable object within the second template.

Moreover in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention the at least one first editable object and the at least onesecond editable object are identical.

Additionally in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention the at least one first editable object and the at least onesecond editable object are different.

Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention the user-defined edit contains geometric parameters useful toautomate the positioning of editable objects.

Still further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention the template contains editable objects and non-editableobjects.

Moreover in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention at least one of the at least one first editable object and theat least one second editable object contains locked features andunlocked features, and wherein the design processor does not alter thelocked features.

Additionally in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention the user-defined edit is comprised of a plurality of elementsacting upon at least part of the at least one first editable object.

Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention at least one element of the user-defined edit acts on multipleeditable objects.

Still further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention the in also includes an output unit for automaticallygenerating graphics outputs of various sizes.

Moreover in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention the graphics outputs are generated on a kiosk system.

There is also provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention a method for positioning an image relative to a cutoutwithout changing the aspect ratio of the image, including identifying azone of interest in the image, and translating and scaling the image sothat a significant portion of the zone of interest appears within thecutout.

Moreover in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention the significant portion of the zone of interest is as muchrelative area of the zone of interest as possible, but constrained sothat the cutout remain entirely within the extent of the image.

Additionally in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention the cutout is part of a template.

Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention the identifying step is carried out manually.

Still further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention the identifying step is carried out automatically.

Moreover in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention the identifying step is based on information as to how saidimage was positioned within a previous cutout.

There is also provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention a system for positioning an image relative to a cutoutwithout changing the aspect ratio of the image, including a zone ofinterest in the image, and an image transformer, translating and scalingthe image so that a significant portion of the zone of interest appearswithin the cutout.

Moreover in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention the significant portion of the zone of interest is as muchrelative area of the zone of interest as possible, but constrained sothat the cutout remain entirely within the extent of the image.

Additionally in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention the cutout is part of a template.

Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention the image was positioned relative to a previous cutout, andthe zone of interest is the portion of the image that was containedwithin the previous cutout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a template with one editable image objectand one text object;

FIG. 2 is an illustration of application of part of a user defined editof the template from FIG. 1 to a different template;

FIG. 3 is a simplified illustration depicting the hierarchy of objectsconstituting the Template Context used in a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 4 is an illustration of a substitution method according to apreferred embodiment of the present invention, using Glue Parameters;and

FIG. 5 is an example illustration of the inter-relationship betweenLivePixObjects, templates and Template Contexts in accordance with apreferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention provides a method and system for using a singleuser-defined edit in a plurality of editable graphics objects incorresponding templates. Throughout the present specification andclaims, a user-defined edit refers to one or more editing steps that areinitially defined by a user and may be used in multiple contexts. Aswill be seen below, the present invention applies to a variety ofcompositing techniques. However, for purposes of clarity and concisenessit will be presented in the context of a specific compositing techniqueknown as FITS®, a registered trademark of Live Picture, Inc. ofCampbell, Calif., U.S.A., this being, a preferred Embodiment. It isunderstood that the present invention is not limited to FITS®applications or techniques.

Brief Overview of FITS

In the aforementioned Delean PCT Publication WO 94/22101 entitled“Method and System for Image Processing,” the contents of which arehereby incorporated by reference, a raster image processing system isdescribed which composites a stack of image rendering layers. Generally,these image rendering layers (also referred to simply as “layers”hereinbelow) are of two types—image layers and paint layers. Imagelayers contain digital images which are to be incorporated into thecomposite image. Paint layers contain editing instructions whichcorrespond to user modifications such as brush strokes, re-sizing,shamming, contrasting, etc., which are described on pages 32-35 of theabove-referenced Delean publication.

The Delean system is particularly advantageous in that it can be appliedin a resolution-independent fashion, and thus can be used for imageediting at multiple resolutions, displaying at any resolution andprinting at any resolution. As such, the Delean system offers the userthe capability of touching up coarse details at one resolution, and finedetails at a magnified resolution.

As described on pages 14-17 of the above-referenced Delean publication,the Delean system operates by using an image format, referred to asIVUE®, a registered trademark of Live Picture, Inc. of Campbell, Calif.,U.S.A., which stores multiple resolutions of a high quality image, inthe form of an image pyramid, and stores the edits in mathematicalfunctional form in a tree data structure. The edits thus occupy a smallamount of storage, and their application does not destroy the originalimage. If the user so desires, some or all of the edits can be ignored,and the corresponding edit effect is eliminated. Moreover, thisnon-destructive editing is accomplished without use of intermediateimage stores, and thus does not require the large amounts of memorytypically required by conventional digital image compositing systems.

The Delean system uses an innovative technology referred to as“functional interpolating transfer system” (FITS), which relies upon abasic elementary operation for transition from layer i-1 to layer i:F _(i)(x,y)=α_(i)(x,y)F _(i−1)(x,y)+β_(i)(x,y)I _(i)(P_(i)(x,y))+y_(i)(x,y)  (1)The index i refers to the successive layers. F_(i) and F_(i−1) denotethe pixel values for layer i and i−1, respectively. I_(i) denotes animported image, and P_(i) denotes a geometric transformation such asrotation, scaling and deformation. The coefficients α_(i) and β_(i)denote opacity levels, and γ_(i) denotes an external color term. Mostediting and compositing operations are such that α_(i)=1−β_(i), and thiswill be assumed to hold in the ensuing discussion

Equation (1) is recursive in nature, and cam be iterated algebraicallythrough all the layers i=1, 2, . . . , m in the layer stack, to arriveat an explicit form

$\begin{matrix}{{F\left( {x,y} \right)} = {{\alpha_{0}^{\prime}{F_{0}\left( {x,y} \right)}} + {\sum\limits_{i = 1}^{m}{{\alpha_{i}^{\prime}\left( {x,y} \right)}{\beta_{i}\left( {x,y} \right)}{I_{i}\left( {P_{i}\left( {x,y} \right)} \right)}}} + {\gamma^{\prime}\left( {x,y} \right)}}} & (2)\end{matrix}$where F₀ is the initial layer 0 image, which could be an all blackbackground, and the primed quantities are given by

$\begin{matrix}{{\alpha_{i}^{\prime} = {\prod\limits_{j = {i + 1}}^{m}\alpha_{j}}},{\gamma_{i}^{\prime} = {\sum\limits_{i = 1}^{m}{\alpha_{i}^{\prime}\gamma_{i}}}}} & (3)\end{matrix}$Equation (2) is the fundamental FITS equation used in image rendering,for display or print. The coordinates (x,y) are real-valued, rather thaninteger valued, making them discretizable to any resolution. This isconsistent with the resolution-independence inherent in the FITS model.

As explained on pages 29 and 30 of the aforesaid Delean publication,with reference to FIG. 10 therein, the FITS parameters α′_(i) and γ_(i)′tend to be smoothly varying parameters of (x,y), as they representediting effects such as brush strokes. Consequently, the FITS algorithmonly evaluates these FITS parameters at selected grid points (x,y),typically one evaluation in every 4×4 block of pixel locations. Thisserves to speed up the RIP processing, since computation of theseparameters can be elaborate. The values of the FITS parameters at theother grid points are obtained by bilinearly interpolating the values atthe selected grid points. Thereafter, when all the FITS parameter valuesare determined, Equation (2) is used to compute pixel values at allpixel locations—hence, the name “functional interpolating transfersystem” (FITS) for the technology. That is, the FITS RIP interpolatesthe functional parameters, rather than the pixel values themselves. Thelatter approach does not work well, as it destroys high frequencydetails of the image.

Equation (2) is of a local nature, in that F(x,y) only depends on theFITS parameters α′_(i) and γ_(i)′ at the location (x, y), and there isno coupling between different locations. Moreover, terms in the sum forwhich β_(i)(x,y)=0 need not be evaluated in arriving at F(x,y). In turnthis means that in order to render a desired portion of the image, it isonly necessary to apply Equation (2) at the points (x,y) that correspondto pixel locations in the desired portion. Thus, it may be appreciatedthat FITS does not require rendering of the entire image in order toview a portion thereof. As a result, the FITS RIP can be carried outvery quickly, giving FITS a significant advantage over conventionaltechniques which require up to several minutes for the RIP operation.

Brief Overview of LivePixObject

FITS layers are powerful, but primitive objects. They do not carry arich level of abstraction, and are difficult to use by a person who istypically not familiar with the concepts used commonly by professionalgraphics designers, such as “stencils,” “alpha channels,” “Beziercurves,” etc.

In a consumer application-such as LIVEPIX®, a registered trademark ofLive Picture, Inc. of Campbell, Calif., U.S.A., a new level of interfaceto access graphical elements is defined on top of the FITS layers. Thisnew level of abstraction is described in terms of objects in aLivePixObject class.

The LivePixObject class encapsulates several FITS elements.Specifically, a LivePixObject is a composite object containing thefollowing elements:

-   -   a general FITS layer (image or paint layer);    -   a monochrome FITS paint layer representing the drop shadow as        well as some shadow specific information, such as offset, color,        feather and opacity;    -   a FITS layer list containing color corrections for red eye        removal;    -   a global opacity;    -   a feathering value; and    -   a shape.        The shape can be defined by the following attributes:    -   a vectorial Bezier path,    -   a test string with the usual font, size and style attributes;        and    -   an alpha channel (i.e. a pointer to the opacity channel of an        image).        The shape is converted into a stencil in the general FITS layer        and the drop shadow.

The above elements can be easily accessed and modified though aprogramming interface for the LivePixObject class, as is typical for C++and Java classes.

Since an objective of the present invention is to enable a user toswitch between templates, and since a LivePixObject list is specific fora template, an ordered list of LivePixObjects is not an appropriate datastructure to work with. The present invention adds another new level ofabstraction with a mechanism to identify and access LivePixObjectsindependently from their order in a particular list To accomplish this,the present invention introduces a new concept: the Template Context

Definition of the Template Context

A template is a list of modifiable, or editable LivePixObjects andnon-modifiable, or non-editable LivePixObjects. Only the modifiableobjects are presented to the user via a template parser. The templateparser lists all the modifiable objects and keeps the list in memory.The user can make edits to the objects in this list, and the edits aremaintained in memory, available to be applied to other templates. Acollection of these edits is a Template Context, also referred to as auser-defined edit.

Reference is now made to FIG. 1 which illustrates a rendered templatecontaining only two editable objects; namely:

-   1. A subject image 10: This object is made, in this example, from    two FITS image layers. The first is a simple image insertion later,    the boy standing up. The second is an image distortion later, the    reflection of the boy in the water.-   2. A title text 12: This object is made, in this example, from five    FITS mono-color paint layers, individually identified as A, B, C, D    and E.

The top right image, indicated by reference numeral 14, although it is aFITS image layer, is not an editable object. A decision as to whichobjects are editable and which are not is made by the designer whencreating the template. This choice is done in order to provideconsistency to the design, and guidance to the user. In principle allobjects can be made editable, but such a setup is likely to lead totemplates that are not easy to customize.

In the specific template of FIG. 1, the user is able to:

-   -   Modify the subject image 10; i.e., substitute a new image in two        different LivePixObjects. When the user moves the subject image,        both the image of the boy and his reflected image in the water        move accordingly, thus correctly illustrating the reflection;        and    -   Change the title text 12; i.e., change the text in the five        different LivePixObjects (A-E).

From FIG. 1 it is apparent that, in order to provide rich but easy touse templates, one would like several LivePixObjects to be able to bemodified at the same time by a single action of a user. The number andlocation of the LivePixObjects in the list may change from one templateto another.

For these reasons, a Template Context should not be defined in terms ofLivePixObjects. Rather, it should be defined in terms of specificContext Members.

Reference is now made to FIG. 2, which illustrates two effects that mayhappen to the context of FIG. 1 when applied to another template:

-   1. A portion of the subject image 10 (FIG. 1) is inserted in several    distinct locations. This is preferably done by preserving    user-edited positioning information while taking the Glue    Parameters, defined hereinbelow, into account. However, the color    correction special effects that are part of the new template may be    applied independently to each image, as seen in FIG. 2.-   2. The title text 12 (FIG. 1) is re-positioned in new locations    using the colors and fonts as specified in the template.

There are several types of Context Members. Each Context Member controlsthe modification of a relevant part of the composition. For example, theContext Member “TEXT-1” includes a method whose behavior is to replace afirst string (“Holydays”) in all the modifiable LivePixObjects referredto as “TEXT-1” with a second string (“Holidays”). As long as all editsmade by a user in such a Template Context, also referred to, as auser-defined edit, are maintained, any single context can be applied tomultiple templates, even if the templates are radically different interms of LivePixObjects, as illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

Description of the Template Context

A Template Context includes one or several Context Members. Theimplementations of Context Members derive from a single generic class.

Reference is now made to FIG. 3, which illustrates the hierarchy ofContext Members making up the Template Context structure, as used in apreferred embodiment of the present invention. It is straightforward foranyone skilled in the art to add new derivative classes from thishierarchy, to support new Context Members. FIG. 3 indicates threeContext Members types in the hierarchy, as follows:

-   -   Text;    -   User Image; and    -   Background Image.

LivePixObjects are modified by Context Members. In order to identifyLivePixObjects without knowing their location within a list, the presentinvention introduces a new set of object information for everyLivePixObject in a template. This information describes which objectsbelong to specific Context Members. It contains:

-   -   an identifier of the type of Context Member, one among the three        used in a preferred embodiment;    -   a symbol. There can be several Context Members of the same type;        i.e., several editable text objects or several substitutable        user images; and    -   a list of attributes, to lock or unlock specific properties of        the LivePixObject.

Automatic Positioning: Glue Properties

Substituting text is relatively straightforward but can involve aproblem that arises when substituting text of one size by text of adifferent size; for example, substituting “A WORD” by “A VERY LONGSENTENCE.” To properly position the substitute text, the presentinvention introduces new properties in a LivePixObject and in ContextMembers called Glue Properties. Glue Properties are used to replace textand other objects efficiently and automatically.

Substitution of images involves a problem similar to that encountered insubstitution of text, in that re-positioning may be required tocorrectly place an image into a cutout originally designed for anotherimage. This problem is compounded when switching from one template toanother. An objective of the present invention is to re-use the fruitsof the effort made by a user to identify a zone of interest and therebyto automate the repositioning in another template insofar as possible.The present invention accomplishes this preferably by using GlueProperties.

Another situation arises when a template contains a multiple-subjectimage. In such a case the present invention takes one of the images as areference, labels it the Primary Image, and labels the other images asSecondary Images. All positioning is relative to this Primary Image. Therelative transformation matrix between a placeholder image and auser-substituted image is used to position all of the Secondary Images.Glue Properties are preferably used to make the re-positioningautomatic.

In an image FITS layer, a transformation matrix, designated here by[T_(p)], used to position a placeholder image, is stored. Whensubstituting the placeholder image with a user-substituted image, thismatrix is typically not appropriate, and undergoes modification to fitthe scaling and translation of the placeholder shape. Thesemodifications are designed by [T_(g)], and are computed by means of theGlue Properties.

Finally, in addition to these transformations, the user may furthermodify the positioning using tools provided in the user interface,thereby creating a third transformation matrix, designated here by[T_(u)]. For example, a designer could repeat the image several timesfollowing a curved path, or a user could designate a region of interestand a rotation or perspective. The composite matrix applied to the userimage is thus [T_(u)][T_(g)][T_(p)].

When substituting a Secondary Image there will likely be anotherplaceholder matrix [T′_(p)] and another glue matrix [T′_(g)], howeverthe user edit matrix [T_(u)] is maintained. The composite matrix appliedto the Secondary Image is thus [T_(u)][T′_(g)][T′_(p)]. By preservingthe user edit matrix [T_(u)] the designer and user edits are maintainedin the substituted Secondary Image.

Consideration is now given to the problems that arise when switchingfrom one template to another while maintaining a user's re-positioninformation as much as possible. Part of the problems can be solved ifthe designers of a specific collection of templates make the templateshomogeneous.

The remainder of the problems is addressed by Glue Properties. In manycases, an image has a “zone of interest;” for example, the face of aperson or a landmark in a landscape—features that constitute the real“subject” of the picture. This zone of interest can be roughly describedby a rectangular zone in the image. Conversely, a designer can specifysuch a zone of interest in the placeholder image used in the templatewhen designing the cutout of the image.

To automatically position a user's image, the zones of interest of theuser image and placeholder image should be made to match as closely aspossible. One approach, which is not very user-friendly, is to let theuser specify the zone of interest. Another approach is to automaticallydetect the zone of interest when the user first places a picture on thetemplate, by computing the part of the picture visible through theplaceholder cutout. This gives a fair estimate of the user's zone ofinterest. When the user first places a picture on a template, the usercan use user interface tools to re-center, re-scale and rotate the imageto put a subject right in the middle of the placeholder cutout.

The zone of interest is stored in the relevant Context Member, alongwith the transformation matrix that includes rotation and perspectivecorrection information. The zone of interest and the transformationmatrix form the image Glue Parameters.

When switching to another template, the transformation matrix is appliedto an image, and the image is made to fit in the new environment byre-centering and re-scaling the zones of interest. In a preferredembodiment, this is done by maximizing the area of the user's zone ofinterest seen through the cutout frame, constrained so that the imageframe always surrounds the cutout frame.

Reference is now made to FIG. 4 which illustrates the problem ofsubstituting an image into different templates. An image 410 being usedin a design appears at the right of each row. The image depicts a womanin a setting of flowers. Shown to the left of the image are four cutoutslabeled 420, 430, 440 and 450, belonging to four different templates.The cutouts have different shapes and sizes, ranging from square toelongated. A designer wishing to use a template with one of thesecutouts wants to position and scale the image within each of thetemplates without changing the aspect ratio of the image, so that thecutout is completely filled in (otherwise the design would have an empty“hole” in it), and so that the part of the image showing through thecutout is aesthetic. This involves careful positioning of the imagewithin the template.

FIG. 4 illustrates two modes of substitution. The top row of rectanglesillustrates substitution using Glue Parameters. The bottom rowillustrates substitution not using Glue Parameters, but rather a centermatching method, which is typically more efficient than simpler methodsusing one of the corners of the image.

Specifically, an image being substituted from one template to anotherappears on the right hand side of each row. The image 410 shown at theright of the top row is identical to the image 410 shown at the right ofthe bottom row. Also shown is a zone of interest 460 containing aportion of the image representing a face. The zone of interest is arectangular portion of the full image. Also shown are cutouts labeled420, 430, 440 and 450 for substitute templates, each with its own shapefor holding the image. The cutouts shown in the top row are identical tothose shown in the bottom row.

In each instance of substitution in the top row, the positioning andscaling of the image within the cutout is determined in such a way thatthe image aspect ratio is preserved, and as much as possible of the zoneof interest shows through the cutout. However, the zone of interestcannot be positioned or reduced in size beyond the point where the imageframe would no longer encompass the cutout frame. Thus, for example, theleft side of the zone of interest, being the left side of the image,must be positioned at the left side of the cutout.

In each instance of substitution in the bottom row, the positioning ofthe image within the cutout is determined in such a way that the centerof the image is positioned at the center of the cutout, and the imageframe encompasses the cutout frame. As a result, the face of the imagecan extend beyond the limits of the cutout, and thus not be seen, as incutout 450 in the bottom row.

It is observed that in the top row, the position of the user image isalmost perfectly centered, with the face showing through the cutout Inthe bottom row, using only the center of the image as a reference point,the main subject is not centered. This discrepancy stems from the factthat the center of the image is not necessarily the center of a zone ofinterest in the image, since the subject is not necessarily centered inthe image. As can be seen in FIG. 4, the use of Glue Parameters offers adramatic advantage.

Other Properties

Other user defined edits can be maintained in a similar fashion, wherebypart of the data is stored in the Context Member, and part in theLivePixObject. Such other edits may be simpler to deal with, since theycan be composed without the need to maintain special references.

For example, when an image layer in a template has color correctionparameters, this color correction is automatically composed with theuser-defined image color correction residing in the Context Member whenan image is substituted User-defined color correction is typically usedto compensate for brightness, contrast and color balance errors, whereasthe template color correction is defined by the designer to add specialeffects such as over-saturation, conversion to black and white, sepia,and the like. In a preferred embodiment, color correction is defined bya set of three look-up tables in RGB color space, and one colortransformation matrix.

To provide additional flexibility, a designer can set severalSubstitution Properties in the LivePixObject. These properties are:

-   -   boolean is PrimaryObect: if set, the LivePixObject is the        Primary object in a group of objects pointing to the same        Context Member (same Context identifier and number);    -   boolean fontLocked: if set, the font is not substituted by the        Context Member font;    -   boolean styleLocked; if set, the style is not substituted by the        Context member style;    -   boolean sizeLocked: if set, the size of the font is not        substituted by the Context Member size of the font; and    -   boolean colorLocked: if set, the text color is not substituted        by the Context Member text color.

Reference is now made to FIG. 5 which illustrates the inter-relationshipbetween LivePixObjects, templates and Template Contexts in a typicalexample. Shown in FIG. 5 are three different templates, labeled 510, 520and 530. Template 510 typically contains two text objects, one imageobject and one background image object. All four of these objects areeditable.

Template 520 typically contains two text objects, one image object andone background image object. The image object is non-editable. Moreoverthe background image and one of the text objects in Template 520 sharethe same identification (context type and number) with the backgroundimage and one of the text objects in Template 510. Template 530typically contains three image objects and one background image object.The second image object is non editable. The first image object sharesthe same identification with the image object in Template 510, and thebackground object shares the same identification with the backgroundobjects from Template 510 and Template 520.

Also illustrated in FIG. 5 is a Template Context or user-defined edit540 containing edits and associated Glue Properties for TEXT-1LivePixObjects, along with edits and associated Glue Properties forIMAGE-1 LivePixObjects. The TEXT-1 edits apply to the TEXT-1LivePixObjects in Template 510 and Template 520. The IMAGE-1 edits applyto the IMAGE-1 LivePixObjects in Template 510 and Template 530. Whenapplied to Template 530, the IMAGE-1 edits represent multiplesubstitution, since there are two IMAGE-1 LivePixObjects in Template530. In applying, these edits to the TEXT-1 and IMAGE-1 LivePixObjects,only the unlocked attributes of the LivePixObjects are affected.Template Context 540 may have been created when user edits were appliedto Template 510.

Although the above discussion references the FITS compositing system, itcan be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the concepts ofTemplate Context and Context Member apply to general image compositingsystems.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the presentinvention is not limited by what has been particularly shown anddescribed hereinabove. Rather the present invention includescombinations and sub-combinations of the various features describedhereinabove as well as modifications and extensions thereof which wouldoccur to a person skilled in the art and which do not fall within theprior art.

1. A graphics editing system, comprising: means for selecting at leastone editable object; means for producing a user-defined graphics edit,wherein the means for producing the user-defined graphics edit iscapable of editing at least part of at least one selected editableobject by adjusting at least one parameter associated with the selectededitable object, and wherein the at least one parameter comprises atleast one of a position, a size, an orientation, a shape, acharacteristic, a text, a lettering and a color value of the selectededitable object; means for selecting a graphical template comprising aforeground image with at least one cutout region; and means forimporting at least a part of the user-defined graphics edit into thecutout region.
 2. A graphics editing system according to claim 1,wherein the means for importing automatically places at least a part ofthe user-defined graphics edit into the cutout region.
 3. A graphicsediting system according to claim 1, wherein the means for importingautomatically places at least a part of the user-defined graphics editinto a plurality of cutout regions.
 4. A graphics editing systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the means for importing places at least apart of the user-defined graphics edit within the cutout region based atleast in part on translating and scaling at least one parameterassociated with the selected editable object with respect to the cutoutregion.
 5. A graphics editing system according to claim 1, wherein theuser-defined graphics edit comprises a zone of interest, wherein theeditable object associated with the user-defined graphics edit comprisesan aspect ratio, and wherein the means for importing places at leastpart of the zone of interest of the user-defined graphics edit withinthe cutout region without substantially changing the aspect ratio of theeditable object.
 6. A graphics editing system according to claim 1,wherein at least one editable object comprises a zone of interest, thezone of interest having an aspect ratio; and wherein the means forimporting places at least part of the zone of interest of the selectededitable object within the cutout region of the template withoutsubstantially changing the aspect ratio of the zone of interest.
 7. Agraphics editing system according to claim 1, wherein at least one ofthe editable objects comprises locked features and unlocked features,and wherein the means for importing at least a part of the user-definedgraphics edit into the cutout region of the template does not alter thelocked features.
 8. A graphics editing system according to claim 1,further comprising: means for selecting a second template comprising aforeground image with at least one cutout region; and means forimporting at least a part of the user-defined graphics edit into thecutout region of the second template.
 9. A graphics editing systemaccording to claim 8, further comprising means for storing theuser-defined graphics edit, and wherein the means for importing at leasta part of the user-defined graphics edit into the cutout region of thesecond template uses the stored user-defined graphics edit.
 10. Agraphics editing system according to claim 9, wherein at least one ofthe editable objects comprises locked features and unlocked features,and wherein the means for importing at least a part of the user-definedgraphics edit into the cutout region of the second template does notalter the locked features.
 11. A graphics editing system according toclaim 9, wherein the means for importing at least a part of theuser-defined graphics edit into the cutout region of the second templateautomatically places at least a part of the user-defined graphics editinto the cutout region.
 12. A graphics editing system according to claim9, wherein the means for importing at least a part of the user-definedgraphics edit into the cutout region of the second templateautomatically places at least a part of the user-defined graphics editinto a plurality of cutout regions.
 13. A graphics editing systemaccording to claim 9, wherein the means for importing at least a part ofthe user-defined graphics edit into the cutout region of the secondtemplate places the user-defined graphics edit within the cutout regionof the second template based at least in part on translating and scalingat least one parameter associated with the selected editable object withrespect to the cutout region of the second template.
 14. A graphicsediting system according to claim 9, wherein the user-defined graphicsedit comprises a zone of interest, wherein the editable objectassociated with the user-defined graphics edit comprises an aspectratio, and wherein the means for importing at least a part of theuser-defined graphics edit into the cutout region of the second templateplaces at least part of the zone of interest of the user-definedgraphics edit within the cutout region of the second template withoutsubstantially changing the aspect ratio of the editable object.
 15. Agraphics editing system according to claim 9, wherein at least oneeditable object comprises a zone of interest, the zone of interesthaving an aspect ratio; and wherein the means for importing at least apart of the user-defined graphics edit into the cutout region of thesecond template places at least part of the zone of interest of theselected editable object within the cutout region of the second templatewithout substantially changing the aspect ratio of the zone of interest.16. A graphics editing system according to claim 9, wherein the graphicsediting system comprises a kiosk.
 17. A graphics editing systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the graphics editing system comprises akiosk system.
 18. A graphics editing system, comprising: means forselecting a first template comprising a foreground image with at leastone cutout region; means for producing a user-defined graphics edit,wherein the means for producing the user-defined graphics edit iscapable of editing at least part of at least one selected editableobject by adjusting at least one parameter associated with the selectededitable object, and wherein the at least one parameter comprises atleast one of a position, a size, an orientation, a shape, acharacteristic, a text, a lettering and a color value of the editableobject, the user-defined graphics edit comprising a zone of interest andthe selected editable object comprising an aspect ratio; first means forimporting at least a part of the user-defined graphics edit into thecutout region of the first template without substantially changing theaspect ratio of the selected editable object corresponding to theuser-defined graphics edit; means for selecting a second templatecomprising a foreground image with at least one cutout region; andsecond means for importing at least a part of the user-defined graphicsedit into the cutout region of the second template by reusing theuser-defined graphics edit and without substantially changing the aspectratio of the editable object corresponding to the user-defined graphicsedit.
 19. A graphics editing system according to claim 18, furthercomprising means for storing the user-defined graphics edit, and whereinthe second means for importing further uses the stored user-definedgraphics edit.
 20. A graphics editing system according to claim 18,wherein at least one of the editable objects comprises locked featuresand unlocked features, and wherein first means for importing at least apart of the user-defined graphics edit into the cutout region of thefirst template does not alter the locked features.
 21. A graphicsediting system according to claim 18, wherein at least one of theeditable objects cbmprises locked features and unlocked features, andwherein second means for importing at least a part of the user-definedgraphics edit into the cutout region of the second template does notalter the locked features.
 22. A graphics editing system according toclaim 18, wherein the graphics editing system comprises a kiosk system.23. A graphics editing system according to claim 18, wherein the firstmeans for importing and The second means for importing comprise the samemeans.
 24. A method for positioning at least a part of an editableobject relative to a cutout region within a graphical template, themethod comprising: selecting at least one editable object; producing auser-defined graphics edit by adjusting at least one parameterassociated with the selected editable object, wherein the at least oneparameter comprises at least one of a position, a size, an orientation,a shape, a characteristic, a text, a lettering and a color value of theselected editable object; selecting a graphical template comprising aforeground image with at least one cutout region; and importing at leasta part of the user-defined graphics edit into the cutout region.
 25. Amethod according to claim 24, wherein importing at least a part of theuser-defined graphics edit further comprises automatically placing atleast a part of the user-defined graphics edit into the cutout region.26. A method according to claim 24, wherein importing at least a part ofthe user-defined graphics edit further comprises automatically placingat least a part of the user-defined graphics edit into a plurality ofcutout regions.
 27. A method according to claim 24, wherein importing atleast a part of the user-defined graphics edit further comprises placingat least a part of the user-defined graphics edit within the cutoutregion based at least in part on translating and scaling at least oneparameter associated with the selected editable object with respect tothe cutout region.
 28. A method according to claim 24, wherein theuser-defined graphics edit comprises a zone of interest, wherein theeditable object associated with the user-defined graphics edit comprisesan aspect ratio, and wherein importing at least a part of theuser-defined graphics edit further comprises placing at least part ofthe zone of interest of the user-defined graphics edit within the cutoutregion without substantially changing the aspect ratio of the editableobject.
 29. A method accordibg to claim 24, wherein at least oneeditable object comprises a zone of interest, the zone of interesthaving an aspect ratio; and wherein importing at least at part of theuser-defined graphics edit further comprises placing at least part ofthe zone of interest of the selected editable object within the cutoutregion of the template without substantially changing the aspect ratioof the zone of interest.
 30. A method according to claim 24, wherein atleast one of the editable objects comprises locked features and unlockedfeatures, and wherein importing at least a part of the user-definedgraphics edit into the cutout region of the template further comprisesreusing the user-defined graphics edit does not alter the lockedfeatures.
 31. A method according to claim 24, further comprising:selecting a second template comprising a foreground image with at leastone cutout region; and importing at least a part of the user-definedgraphics edit into the cutout region of the second template.
 32. Amethod according to claim 31, further comprising storing theuser-defined graphics edit, and wherein importing at least a part of theuser-defined graphics edit into the cutout region of the second templatecomprises using the stored user-defined graphics edit.
 33. A methodaccording to claim 31, wherein importing at least a part of theuser-defined graphics edit into the cutout region of the second templatecomprises automatically placing at least a part of the user-definedgraphics edit into the cutout region.
 34. A method according to claizn31, wherein at least one of the editable objects comprises lockedfeatures and unlocked features, and wherein importing at least a part ofthe user-defined graphics edit into the cutout region of the secondtemplate does not alter the locked features.
 35. A method according toclaim 31, wherein importing at least a part of the user-defined graphicsedit into the cutout region of the second template comprisesautomatically placing at least a part of the user-defined graphics editinto a plurality of cutout regions.
 36. A method according to claim 31,wherein importing at least a part of the user-defined graphics edit intothe cutout region of the second template comprises placing theuser-defined graphics edit within the cutout region of the secondtemplate based at least in part on translating and scaling at least oneparameter associated with the selected editable object with respect tothe cutout region of the second template.
 37. A method according toclaim 31, wherein the user-defined graphics edit comprises a zone ofinterest, wherein the editable object associated with the user-definedgraphics edit comprises an aspect ratio, and wherein importing at leasta part of the user-defined graphics edit into the cutout region of thesecond template comprises placing at least part of the zone of interestof the user-defined graphics edit within the cutout region of the secondtemplate without substantially changing the aspect ratio of the editableobject.
 38. A method according to claim 31, wherein at least oneeditable object comprises a zone of interest, the zone of interesthaving an aspect ratio; and wherein importing at least a part of theuser-defined graphics edit into the cutout region of the second templatecomprises placing at least part of the zone of interest of the selectededitable object within the cutout region of the second template withoutsubstantially changing the aspect ratio of the zone of interest.
 39. Amethod for positioning at least a part of an editable object relative toa cutout region within a graphical template, the method comprising:selecting a first template comprising a foreground image with at leastone cutout region; producing a user-defined graphics edit by adjustingat least one parameter associated with a selected editable object,wherein the at least one parameter comprises at least one of a position,a size, an orientation, a shape, a characteristic, a text, a letteringand a color value of the editable object, and the user-defined graphicsedit comprises a zone of interest and the selected editable objectcomprising an aspect ratio; importing at least a part of theuser-defined graphics edit into the cutout region of the first templatewithout substantially changing the aspect ratio of the editable objectcorresponding to the user-defined graphics edit; selecting a secondtemplate comprising a foreground image with at least one cutout region;and importing at least a part of the user-defined graphics edit into thecutout region of the second template by reusing the user-definedgraphics edit and without substantially changing the aspect ratio of theeditable object corresponding to the user-defined graphics edit.
 40. Amethod according to claim 39, further comprising saving the user-definedgraphics edit, and wherein importing at least a part of the user-definedgraphics edit into the cutout region of the second template furthercomprises using the stored user-defined graphics edit.
 41. A methodaccording to claim 39, wherein at least one of the editable objectscomprises locked features and unlocked features, and wherein importingat least a part of the user-defined graphics edit into the cutout regionof the first template does not alter the locked features.
 42. A methodaccording to claim 39, wherein at least one of the editable objectscomprises locked features and unlocked features, and wherein importingat least a part of the user-defined graphics edit into the cutout regionof the second template does not alter the locked features.
 43. Anarticle comprising: a computer readable medium having stored thereoninstructions that, if executed, result in at least the following:selecting at least one editable object; producing a user-definedgraphics edit by adjusting at least one parameter associated with theselected editable object, wherein the at least one parameter comprisesat least one of a position, a size, an orientation, a shape, acharacteristic, a text, a lettering and a color value of the selectededitable object; selecting a graphical template comprising a foregroundimage with at least one cutout region; and importing at least a part ofthe user-defined graphics edit into the cutout region.
 44. An articleaccording to claim 43, wherein importing at least a part of theuser-defined graphics edit further comprises automatically placing atleast a part of the user-defined graphics edit into the cutout region.45. An article according to claim 43, wherein importing at least a partof the user-defined graphics edit further comprises automaticallyplacing at least a part of the user-defined graphics edit into aplurality of cutout regions.
 46. An article according to claim 43,wherein importing at least a part of the user-defined graphics editfurther comprises placing at least a part of the user-defined graphicsedit within the cutout region based at least in part on translating andscaling at least one parameter associated with the selected editableobject with respect to the cutout region.
 47. An article according toclaim 43, wherein the user-defined graphics edit comprises a zone ofinterest, wherein the editable object associated with the user-definedgraphics edit comprises an aspect ratio, and wherein importing at leasta part of the user-defined graphics edit further comprises placing atleast part of the zone of interest of the user-defined graphics editwithin the cutout region without substantially changing the aspect ratioof the editable object.
 48. An article according to claim 43, wherein atleast one editable object comprises a zone of interest, the zone ofinterest having an aspect ratio; and wherein importing at least at partof the user-defined graphics edit further comprises placing at leastpart of the zone of interest of the selected editable object within thecutout region of the template without substantially changing the aspectratio of the zone of interest.
 49. An article according to claim 43,wherein at least one of the editable objects comprises locked featuresand unlocked features, and wherein importing at least a part of theuser-defined graphics edit into the cutout region of the templatefurther comprises reusing the user-defined graphics edit does not alterthe locked features.
 50. An article according to claim 43, furthercomprising: selecting a second template comprising a foreground imagewith at least one cutout region; and importing at least a part of theuser-defined graphics edit into the cutout region of the secondtemplate.
 51. An article according to claim 50, further comprisingstoring the user-defined graphics edit, and wherein importing at least apart of the user-defined graphics edit into the cutout region of thesecond template comprises using the stored user-defined graphics edit.52. An article according to claim 50, wherein importing at least a partof the user-defined graphics edit into the cutout region of the secondtemplate comprises automatically placing at least a part of theuser-defined graphics edit into the cutout region.
 53. An articleaccording to claim 50, wherein at least one of the editable objectscomprises locked features and unlocked features, and wherein importingat least a part of the user-defined graphics edit into the cutout regionof the second template does not alter the locked features.
 54. Anarticle according to claim 50, wherein importing at least a part of theuser-defined graphics edit into the cutout region of the second templatecomprises automatically placing at least a part of the user-definedgraphics edit into a plurality of cutout regions.
 55. An articleaccording to claim 50, wherein importing at least a part of theuser-defined graphics edit into the cutout region of the second templatecomprises placing the user-defined graphics edit within the cutoutregion of the second template based at least in part on translating andscaling at least one parameter associated with the selected editableobject with respect to the cutout region of the second template.
 56. Anarticle according to claim 50, wherein the user-defined graphics editcomprises a zond of interest, wherein the editable object associatedwith the user-defined graphics edit comprises an aspect ratio, andwherein importing at least a part of the user-defined graphics edit intothe cutout region of the second template comprises placing at least partof the zone of interest of the user-defined graphics edit within thecutout region of the second template without substantially changing theaspect ratio of the editable object.
 57. An article according to claim50, wherein at least one editable object comprises a zone of interest,the zone of interest having an aspect ratio; and wherein importing atleast a part of the user-defined graphics edit into the cutout region ofthe second template comprises placing at least part of the zone ofinterest of the selected editable object within the cutout region of thesecond template without substantially changing the aspect ratio of thezone of interest.
 58. An article comprising: a computer readable mediumhaving stored thereon instructions that, if executed, result in at leastthe following: selecting a first template comprising a foreground imagewith at least one cutout region; producing a user-defined graphics editby adjusting at least one parameter associated with a selected editableobject, wherein the at least one parameter comprises at least one of aposition, a size, an orientation, a shape, a characteristic, a text, alettering and a color value of the editable object, and wherein theuser-defined graphics edit comprises a zone of interest and the selectededitable object comprising an aspect ratio; importing at least a part ofthe user-defined graphics edit into the cutout region of the firsttemplate without substantially changing the aspect ratio of the editableobject corresponding to the user-defined graphics edit; selecting asecond template comprising a foreground image with at least one cutoutregion; and importing at least a part of the user-defined graphics editinto the cutout region of the second template by reusing theuser-defined graphics edit and without substantially changing the aspectratio of the editable object corresponding to the user-defined graphicsedit.
 59. An article according to claim 58, further comprising savingthe user-defmcd graphics edit, and wherein importing at least a part ofthe user-defined graphics edit into the cutout region of the secondtemplate further comprises using the stored user-defined graphics edit.60. An article according to claim 58, wherein at least one of theeditable objects comprises locked features and unlocked features, andwherein importing at least a part of the user-defined graphics edit intothe cutout region of the first template does not alter the lockedfeatures.
 61. An article according to claim 58, wherein at least one ofthe editable objects comprises locked features and unlocked features,and wherein importing at least a part of the user-defined graphics editinto the cutout region of the second template does not alter the lockedfeatures.
 62. A graphics editing system, comprising: an editable-objectselector capable of selecting at least one editable object; a graphicseditor capable of producing a user-defined graphics edit, wherein theuser-defined graphics editor is capable of editing at least part of atleast one selected editable object by adjusting at least one parameterassociated with the selected editable object, and wherein the at leastone parameter comprises at least one of a position, a size, anorientation, a shape, a characteristic, a text, a lettering and a colorvalue of the selected editable object; a graphical-template selectorcapable of selecting a graphical template comprising a foreground imagewith at least one cutout region; and a graphics-edit importer capable ofimporting at least a part of the user-defined graphics edit into thecutout region.
 63. A graphics editing system according to claim 62,wherein the graphics-edit importer automatically places at least a partof the user-defined graphics edit into the cutout region.
 64. A graphicsediting system according to claim 62, wherein the graphics-edit importerautomatically places at least a part of the user-defined graphics editinto a plurality of cutout regions.
 65. A graphics editing systemaccording to claim 62, wherein the graphics-edit importer places atleast a part of the user-defined graphics edit within the cutout regionbased at least in part on translating and scaling at least one parameterassociated with the selected editable object wit respect to the cutoutregion.
 66. A graphics editing system according to claim 62, wherein theuser-defined graphics edit comprises a zone of interest, wherein theeditable object associated with the user-defined graphics edit comprisesan aspect ratio, and wherein the graphics-edit importer places at leastpart of the zone of interest of the user-defined graphics edit withinthe cutout region without substantially changing the aspect ratio of theeditable object.
 67. A graphics editing system according to claim 62,wherein at least one editable object comprises a zone of interest, thezone of interest having an aspect ratio; and wherein the graphics-editimporter places at least part of the zone of interest of the selectededitable object within the cutout region of the template withoutsubstantially changing the aspect ratio of the zone of interest.
 68. Agraphics editing system according to claim 62, wherein at least one ofthe editable objects comprises locked features and unlocked features,and wherein the graphics-edit importer does not alter the lockedfeatures.
 69. A graphics editing system according to claim 62, whereinthe template selector is further capable of selecting a second templatecomprising a foreground image with at least one cutout region; andwherein the graphics-edit importer is further capable of importing atleast apart of the user-defined graphics edit into the cutout region ofthe second template.
 70. A graphics editing system according to claim62, further comprising: a second template selector capable of selectinga second template comprising a foreground image with at least one cutoutregion; and a second graphics-edit importer capable of importing atleast a part of the user-defined graphics edit into the cutout region ofthe second template.
 71. A graphics editing system according to claim70, further comprising a storage device capable of storing theuser-defined graphics edit, and wherein the graphics-edit importer usesthe stored user-defined graphics edit.
 72. A graphics editing systemaccording to claim 71, wherein at least one of the editable objectscomprises locked features and unlocked features, and wherein the secondgraphics-edit importer does not alter the locked features.
 73. Agraphics editing system according to claim 71, wherein the secondgraphics-edit importer automatically places at least a part of theuser-defined graphics edit into the cutout region.
 74. A graphicsediting system according to claim 71, wherein the second graphics-editimporter automatically places at least a part of the user-definedgraphics edit into a plurality of cutout regions.
 75. A graphics editingsystem according to claim 71, wherein the second graphics-edit importerplaces the user-defined graphics edit within the cutout region of thesecond template based at least in part on translating and scaling atleast one parameter associated with the selected editable object withrespect to the cutout region of the second template.
 76. A graphicsediting system according to claim 71, wherein the user-defined graphicsedit comprises a zone of interest, wherein the editable objectassociated with the user-defined graphics edit comprises an aspectratio, and wherein the second graphics-edit importer places at leastpart of the zone of interest of the user-defined graphics edit withinthe cutout region of the second template without substantially changingthe aspect ratio of the editable object.
 77. A graphics editing systemaccording to claim 71, wherein at least one editable object comprises azone of interest, the zone of interest having an aspect ratio; andwherein the second graphics-edit importer places at least part of thezone of interest of the selected editable object within the cutoutregion of the second template without substantially changing the aspectratio of the zone of interest.
 78. A graphics editing system accordingto claim 71, wherein the graphics editing system comprises a kiosk. 79.A graphics editing system according to claim 62, wherein the graphicsediting system comprises a kiosk system.
 80. A graphics editing system,comprising: a first template selector capable of selecting a firsttemplate comprising a foreground image with at least one cutout region;a graphics editor capable of producing a user-defined graphics edit,wherein the means for producing the user-defined graphics edit iscapable of editing at least part of at least one selected editableobject by adjusting at least one parameter associated with the selectededitable object, and wherein the at least one parameter comprises atleast one of a position, a size, an orientation, a shape, acharacteristic, a text, a lettering and a color value of the editableobject, the user-defined graphics edit comprising a zone of interest andthe selected editable object comprising an aspect ratio; firstgraphics-edit importer capable of importing at least a part of theuser-defined graphics edit into the cutout region of the first templatewithout substantially changing the aspect ratio of the selected editableobject corresponding to the user-defined graphics edit; a secondtemplate selector capable of selecting a second template comprising aforeground image with at least one cutout region; and a secondgraphics-edit importer capable of importing at least a part of theuser-defined graphics edit into the cutout region of the second templateby reusing the user-defined graphics edit and without substantiallychanging the aspect ratio of the editable object corresponding to theuser-defined graphics edit.
 81. A graphics editing system according toclaim 80, further comprising a storage capable of storing theuser-defined graphics edit, and wherein the second graphics-editimporter is further capable of using the stored user-defined graphicsedit.
 82. A graphics editing system according to claim 80, wherein atleast one of the editable objects comprises locked features and unlockedfeatures, and wherein first graphics-edit importer does not alter thelocked features.
 83. A graphics editing system according to claim 80,wherein at least one of the editable objects comprises locked featuresand unlocked features, and wherein second graphics-edit importer doesnot alter the locked features.
 84. A graphics editing system accordingto claim 80, wherein the graphics editing system comprises a kiosksystem.
 85. A graphics editing system according to claim 80, wherein thefirst graphics-edit importer and the second graphics-edit importercomprise the same importer.
 86. A method for positioning an adjustableimage relative to a cutout region within a foreground image, comprising:identifying a zone of interest in the adjustable image; and translatingand scaling the adjustable image so that a substantial portion of thezone of interest in the adjustable image appears within the cutoutregion without changing the aspect ratio of the adjustable image.
 87. Amethod according to claim 86, wherein translating and scaling furthercomprise determining effective translation and scaling parameters forthe adjustable image so that the substantial portion of the zone ofinterest in the adjustable image appears within the cutout regionwithout the aspect ratio of the adjustable image being changed.
 88. Amethod according to claim 86, wherein the substantial portion of thezone of interest is constrained so that the cutout region remainsentirely within an extent of the adjustable image.
 89. A methodaccording to claim 86, wherein identifying comprises manuallydetermining the zone of interest.
 90. A method according to claim 86,wherein identifying comprises automatically determining the zone ofinterest.
 91. A method according to claim 86, wherein identifyingcomprises determining the zone of interest based on a position of theadjustable image with respect to another cutout region.
 92. A system forpositioning an adjustable image relative to a cutout region within aforeground image, the system comprising: a zone identifier capable ofidentifying a zone of interest in the adjustable image; and an importercapable of translating and scaling the adjustable image so that asubstantial portion of the zone of interest in the adjustable imageappears within the cutout region without changing the aspect ratio ofthe adjustable image.
 93. A system according to claim 92, wherein theimporter is further capable of determining effective translation andscaling parameters for the adjustable image so that the substantialportion of the zone of interest in the adjustable image appears withinthe cutout region without the aspect ratio of the adjustable image beingchanged.
 94. A system according to claim 92, wherein the substantialportion of the zone of interest is constrained so that the cutout regionremains entirely within an extent of the adjustable image.
 95. A systemaccording to claim 92, wherein the zone identifier is capable ofreceiving information related to the zone of interest.
 96. A systemaccording to claim 92, wherein the zone identifier is capable ofautomatically determining the zone of interest.
 97. A system accordingto claim 92, wherein the zone identifier is further capable ofdetermining the zone of interest based on a position of the adjustableimage with respect to another cutout region.